What to say in a business voicemail greeting, with examples by trade

The five things every greeting should say

1. Your business name. First words out. The caller needs to know they dialed right.
2. That you cannot pick up, without a long excuse. "We're on a job" is enough.
3. When they will hear back. A time, not a promise of speed. "We return calls by 5 PM the same day" or "first thing tomorrow."
4. What to leave. Name, number, and one line about the job. People leave better messages when told what you need.
5. The emergency route, if you have one. One number, said slowly, twice.

Only say a call-back time you actually keep. A greeting that says "within the hour" when the truth is tomorrow does more harm than no time at all. Why the wait matters is covered in how fast a business should respond to a new lead.

What to leave out

• "Your call is important to us." Everyone has heard it and nobody believes it.
• Your full list of services. They called; they know what you do.
• Your website address spelled out. Nobody writes it down mid-call.
• Dates that go stale. "We are closed for the holiday on the 25th" is still playing in February. Use a separate holiday greeting and switch it back.
• Background noise. Record in a parked truck with the engine off, not on a job site.

Shorter is kinder. Every extra sentence is a chance for the caller to hang up and try the next business. The options beyond voicemail are compared in answering service vs voicemail vs text-back.

Example greetings by trade

These are written to be read aloud as they are. The business names and numbers are made up; swap in your own. Each runs about twenty seconds at a normal pace.

• Plumbing. "You've reached Northside Plumbing. We're out on a job right now. Leave your name, number and what's going on, and we'll call you back today before 6. If water is coming in and you can't stop it, call our emergency line at 555-0142. That's 555-0142."
• Heating and cooling. "This is Lakeview Heating and Air. We can't get to the phone. Tell us your name, your number, and whether it's heating or cooling, and we'll call back within the business day. No heat and it's freezing? Call our emergency line at 555-0117."
• Roofing. "Thanks for calling Ridgeline Roofing. We're up on a roof, so leave your name, number and address, and tell us if it's a leak or an estimate. We return every call by the end of the day. For an active leak, say 'leak' first so we call you first."
• Cleaning. "Hi, you've reached Bright Home Cleaning. We're with a client. Please leave your name, number, and whether you need a one-time or regular clean. We call back weekdays between 4 and 6."
• Auto repair. "This is Fifth Street Auto. We're under a car. Leave your name, number, and the year and model, plus what it's doing. We call back the same day until 5:30. If your car is already here, we'll call you when it's ready."

For wording by trade in other places a customer reaches you, our industry pages have more, starting with HVAC, roofing, cleaning and auto repair.

An after-hours version

Keep a second greeting for when you are closed. It changes two lines: the hours, and the call-back time.

• "You've reached Northside Plumbing. We're closed for the day and open again at 7 tomorrow morning. Leave your name, number and what's going on, and you'll be the first call we make. If it can't wait until morning, our emergency line is 555-0142."

Google Voice lets you "record up to 10 voicemail greetings and select the one that you want callers to hear," so switching is a tap. On a basic carrier voicemail you may need to re-record, which is a good reason to keep both scripts written down. More on covering nights and weekends is in after-hours calls.

How to record it

The steps differ by carrier and phone. Two that we read at the source:

• AT&T wireless. Press and hold the 1 key to call voicemail, enter your password if asked, press the * key for the main menu, press 4 for personal options, then 3 to change your personal greeting, and follow the recorded prompts.
• Google Voice. Open Settings, go to the Voicemail section, tap Voicemail greeting, then record, play it back, redo it if needed, and save. Recording in the app allows up to 3 minutes; Google notes that a greeting recorded in Safari "can only be one minute long." You will need neither.

Before you save it:

1. Read the script aloud once with a timer. Aim for about twenty seconds.
2. Say any phone number slowly and repeat it.
3. Call your own number from another phone and listen the way a customer would.

If your voicemail is on a different number from the one customers call, forwarding gets the calls there.

Get messages where you will see them

A greeting only helps if you hear the message soon after. Two free habits make that likely.

• Send voicemail to your email. In Google Voice this is one switch: Settings, Voicemail, "Get voicemail via email," and the transcripts show up in your email app. Many carriers' visual voicemail apps do something similar.
• Check at fixed times. Midday and end of day, every day, matching what your greeting says.

Voicemail is one of several places an enquiry can land, along with email, your website form and chat. NewFrontDesk does not handle voicemail, but it does put website chat and form enquiries into one lead inbox so there is one less place to check. To see whether it fits, try the which plan quiz or call (346) 913-7215.

Sources

• Google Voice Help: set up or change a voicemail greeting (10 greetings, length limits, steps)
• AT&T: access voicemail (steps to change your personal greeting)
• Google Voice Help: forward voicemail transcripts to email

Sources read on October 9, 2026. Menu steps vary by carrier, plan and phone; your carrier's support page is the final word. The example business names and 555 numbers are made up. The twenty-second length is our own working rule, not a research finding.